West Nile virus has infected 30 people in Larimer County this year and been detected in two blood donations collected in Fort Collins, the county health department said Tuesday.

The contaminated blood was not given to patients. Earlier this month, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2012 a Colorado man died after receiving a blood donation contaminated with West Nile.

As of Monday, the state health department's tally of confirmed West Nile cases was 36. However those numbers may lag behind the current number of cases.

Larimer County's total has increased by 10 since the county last reported to the state, health department spokeswoman Jane Viste said.

Eight of the Larimer cases are "neuroinvasive" — affecting the brain and spine — and may lead to severe complications like chronic disability, nerve problems and even death, Viste said.

West Nile has not killed anyone in Colorado this year. Six people have been infected in Delta County, four in Boulder County, two in Adams County and one each in Broomfield, Mesa, Prowers and Weld counties, according to state data.

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Although experts are unsure if the number of cases will surpass the 131 infections and five deaths logged last year, they anticipate increases until the first frost.

"Cases you're seeing now and that have been reported were infected two to three weeks ago," said John Pape, epidemiologist at the state health department. "We fully expect to continue to see the number of cases climb over the next several weeks."

The warm weather and moisture along the Front Range has contributed to an increase of cases in the area, Pape said. In Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Erie and other cities around the state where trapping and testing mosquitoes indicates an increased risk of transmission of the virus have tried to lower the risk by periodically spraying insecticide, treating water and educating the public.

"The positive message is 10 years ago we didn't have a way to predict the human risk and respond to the virus," Pape said.

In 2003, 2,947 were infected and 66 people died.

Now researchers can see when there is an increase in the number of mosquitoes and "communities are much more pro-active," he said.

He advised residents to wear repellant while outside during mosquitoes' peak hours between dusk and dawn.

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